May 21, 2007: Patricia sez: You see, Kenneth Goldsmith is going around telling people I don’t exist. Absolutely not. I would never presume to speak for you nor anyone else, Patricia. I've never told anyone what to think about you. Instead, what I said was that without the academy, as a poet I don't exist. I don't see you anywhere in that equation. Kenny by Kenneth Goldsmith

Missive From Outside the Academy. Really! May 21, 2007: Hi, my name is Patricia. I’m approximately 5’6” tall, a black woman with reddish-brown hair (paid in full), a thick waist and world hips. I love wearing sun hues—deep golds, copper, bronzes—and, probably because of those aforementioned world hips, I prefer flowing garments. Since I would rather eat glass then drive in Manhattan, I can [...] by Patricia Smith

“Soft Skull is *not* over” May 21, 2007: Updated 5:40 p.m. thanks to Shanna Compton... Shoemaker & Hoard, soft skull press, and Counterpoint publishing houses were all purchased by Charles Winton and are being reorganized into a new publishing house known as Winton-Shoemaker. (via Shanna Compton's blog). Shoemaker & Hoard Announces Purchase of Soft Skull Press Shoemaker & Hoard [...] by Emily Warn

Language Watch May 21, 2007: I saw the headline “Illegal Migrants Dissect Details of Senate Deal” in the New York Times over the weekend, and I wondered if they had a linguistic policy change, as I didn’t remember seeing that phrase “Illegal Migrant” in a headline before, so I did searches of the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and Fox News [...] by Jeffrey McDaniel

the Public Bus Rule May 20, 2007: Kenny’s post about a readership existing solely in the academy made me think about a ridership. I usually resist decrees about what is and isn’t a poem, who is and isn’t a poet etc. But if I had a rule, it might be that every person who claims the title poet must have at least one poem that they could sit down and read to a stranger on a [...] by Jeffrey McDaniel

from the New York Times this week May 20, 2007: This is the most whimsical thing I've seen in a while, and seems to capture the Czech spirit. * I could be wrong, but I wonder if this sort of theater would be up Kenneth's alley. It's a site-speciifc, conceptual piece, where a German director hires an American actor to act like a farmer on an actual farm, as real farmers watch. * If anyone will [...] by Jeffrey McDaniel

A Tad Depressing (Redux) May 18, 2007: Kwame, Difference, indeed: http://poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2007/05/kenneths_goldsmith_recent_blog.html vs. http://poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2007/05/kwames_dawes_recent_blog_about.html Might be worth further discussion. And, dear, most of my hair has already fallen out. Another curse, please. (smile) Luv, Kenny G by Kenneth Goldsmith

Ken, Yuh Draw Bad Card May 18, 2007: Some of the larger and decidedly political work that Linton Kwesi Johnson did through his poetry involved reciting his poems at rallies and marches in the UK to protest real atrocities and abuses to real people and to argue for the changing of laws. He marched in tandem with political organizing and speech making. Those marches, those [...] by Kwame Dawes

Proofs May 18, 2007: This morning I begged the beautiful and brilliant poet Catherine Barnett (author of Into Spheres Such Perfect Holes Are Pierced) to meet me in the lobby of the elementary school (our kids go to the same school) and help me with some commas. As usual, she came through for me. I had a short list of questions, and it didn’t take much time. [...] by Rachel Zucker

Kenneth Goldsmith says that utilitarian poetry fails as art May 18, 2007: Kwame, I never said that nor do I believe it. Instead, I quoted Brian Eno as saying, "Art is everything we don't need to do," in which Eno was addressing the activity of making art. The results of that art, however, are another matter and, yes, it can and does affect lives. Linton Kwesi Johnson, though, I contend has much more of an influence as a [...] by Kenneth Goldsmith